Local News

Riverside Medical Center Provided $41.5 Million in Community Benefits Last Year

2012 Community Benefit Report ReleasedPosted: Friday, August 9, 2013

KANKAKEE, IL (August 8, 2013) –Riverside Medical Center is committed to bringing health, healing and access to quality care for those living throughout the region. In 2012, this commitment continued as Riverside not only expanded existing services, but added new programs as well, providing more than $41.5 million in community benefit.

"Every day, our staff, physicians and volunteers work together to meet those needs through quality health services, wellness and education initiatives, charity care, and charitable contributions."

Of the more than $41.5 million of community benefits in 2012, more than $22.7 million of the total covered costs was for subsidized health services. This included Medicaid services (care provided to those in state aid program), and community health centers in Kankakee,Momence and Hopkins Park. New Life Center, ambulance services, health screenings, physician recruitment and health care education, and other services are also included in this figure.

The income, employment and insurance status of residents of Kankakee County result in the hospital caring for a large number of patients who are uninsured or underinsured, or for whom public program reimbursement is inadequate to cover costs.

New charges pending in beating death; blunt force trauma caused death of Gibson City man

Ford County State's Attorney Matt Fitton is reviewing the case against a Gibson City man who's charged in the beating of another Gibson City man. Aggravated battery against 34-year-old Ryan Nibbe could be bumped...since the beating victim died.

Autopsy results show that complications from blunt-force trauma caused the death of a 44-year-old Tim Robertson he died eight days after sustaining a traumatic head injury in an altercation with Nibbe at a Gibscon City apartment building.

Mr. Robertson had been in a coma at the hospital since July 28, after his skull was fractured during thealtercation. He died Monday at Carle Hospital.

Judge reduces bond for woman charged in foster child’s death

In Livingston County court (Thursday), a judge agreed to reduce the bond for a former Cullom woman facing murder charges in the 2011 death of a foster child.

29-year-old Heather Lamie, who now lives in Kankakee County, still needs to post 10% of $100,000 to be released. Lamie is charged with two counts of murder and one count of endangering the life and health of a child in the May 2011 death of 4-year-old Kianna Rudesill.Ford Count y Judge Stephen Pacey agreed to lower the $2 million bond.

Pacey is hearing the case after Livingston County State's Attorney Seth Uphoff requested a change of judge.If convicted of murder, Lamie faces mandatory life in prison.

Uphoff again argued the $2 million bond was appropriate due to the nature and circumstances of the child's death. After Pacey agreed to lower the bond, Uphoff asked that Lamie be required to wear an electronic monitoring device. That too, was denied.

August likely to be cooler than normal

State climatologist Jim Angel says it's shaping up to be a cooler than normal August. Angel said in the first week of the month, the statewide average temperature was 72 degrees. That's 1.5 degrees below normal. This follows a July where Angel said the state was two degrees below average.

Angel said it'll be tough, though, to reach the coolest August on record. That was in 1915 when the average temperature was 67.2 degrees.